Bosh shows what Rockets' offseason fuss was all about

Instead of forming two-thirds of the Rockets' starting frontcourt, Dwight Howard, left, and Chris Bosh were banging into each other Tuesday night.

Instead of forming two-thirds of the Rockets' starting frontcourt, Dwight Howard, left, and Chris Bosh were banging into each other Tuesday night.

Photo: Wilfredo Lee, STF

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Chris Bosh shows his versatility with a reverse layup Tuesday night.

Chris Bosh shows his versatility with a reverse layup Tuesday night.

Photo: Mike Ehrmann, Staff

Bosh shows what Rockets' offseason fuss was all about

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MIAMI - Gentleman that he is, Chris Bosh at first seemed hesitant to taunt the Rockets too much. But eventually, he couldn't help it.

For a half, he was more solid than spectacular, save for a H-O-R-S-E shot he flipped in off the top of the backboard. But as Dwight Howard and James Harden had their best stretch together in the preseason, the power forward the Rockets nearly put between their two stars was conspicuous, demonstrating again why the Rockets wanted him.

By the third quarter, Bosh put in a step-back jumper and a 3-pointer, then drove past Donatas Motiejunas for a spectacular reverse through a foul. As the Miami Heat held on for a 90-85 victory Tuesday night, it became impossible not to imagine what Bosh could have meant to the Rockets' lineup.

Bosh finished with 22 points on 7-of-12 shooting in his 35 minutes, showing the full repertoire the Rockets coveted.

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In the days when Bosh thought if LeBron James left Miami then he would as well, he considered the sort of team the Rockets would be if he joined them.

He heard from Rockets coach Kevin McHale and general manager Daryl Morey. He had an offer as good as any he expected to receive to stay with the Heat. He evaluated the Rockets' place in the NBA's hierarchy were he to sign as a free agent.

"Just like everybody else," Bosh said of his evaluation, "an instant title contender."

Whether motivated by humility, kindness or basketball analysis, he quickly added that he believed his decision did not make or break the Rockets' chances.

"They're a title contender with or without me," Bosh said. "I think everybody felt that."

Forward does it all

Still, with the Rockets facing the Heat on Tuesday, there was no way to avoid thoughts of what could have been.

"It's not any one thing that defines CB," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. "He brings so many things to the table. It's the versatility. It's the talent. It's the fact that he's been a leading guy before. It's the fact that he is a big and he's a versatile big.

"There's not many bigs in the league that can do what he does on the floor - defend pick-and-rolls, pick up on the perimeter, defend bigs in the paint, be a help-side defender, and then to do all the things that we ask him to do offensively."

Had McHale been within earshot, this could have been taunting. Spoelstra noted the intangibles that had the Rockets offering everything the rules allowed.

"CB is a rock," Spoelstra said. "He's awesome. He embodies all the qualities we want of a Miami Heat player - the professionalism, the toughness, the leadership, the putting winning before anything else. He just has a great perspective. He's a great competitor."

In the hours after James announced his decision to return to Cleveland, the Rockets seemed on the verge of getting the power forward. But Bosh said he would hear the Heat's final offer, not expecting the jump to the full max contract - $118 million over five years - that kept him in Miami.

"It was pretty clear," Bosh said. "My No. 1 goal was to stay here. But as talks got on, you get in the business, negotiations - things happen you didn't think were going to happen.

"I'm happy with my decision. I'm happy with the way things panned out."

The lure of Miami

Until that agreement July 11, the Heat were frantic to keep together as much of their championship teams as possible and find replacements, eventually landing Luol Deng to step in at small forward. But until that phone call to Bosh in Africa, it all seemed to be falling apart.

"After LeBron left, all bets were off," Spoelstra said. "For the first two or three hours, it felt like we were Jerry Maguire, calling everybody and everybody's agent, and nobody was answering. We finally got him on the phone when the deal was about to be completed."

For Bosh, when the offer was $30 million larger than the Rockets or any other team could make, the decision became clear.

"I'm so comfortable here," Bosh said. "I mean, it is Miami. I think that's obvious. And my family, they've grown to really like it here. They've been very comfortable here. But just building that life outside of basketball has been spectacular. I have friends outside of basketball. I couldn't imagine up and leaving."

But there was a time he imagined himself with the Rockets, confident about what they could have been with him.